Opinions - Topics from February, 2012

Math – mere mention makes many people cringe. It seems no other subject is more feared by otherwise “know it all” 8th-graders who consistently protest, “Why do I need to learn this stuff? I’m never gonna use it."
[Full story »]

A couple of months ago I got a Sonia Leigh CD and took it on a road trip with me. I listened to it throughout about 10 times. I knew after the first round through the CD I was a Sonia Leigh fan. She can absolutely put me in high gear with her soulful, bluesy, country rock vocals. I decided I’d have to see her in person to get the total effect of this local Pike County girl.
[Full story »]

Miracles happen. I know this for a fact because I just saw one. It happened at 4:56 PM on Sunday, February 19 in a labor and delivery room at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany. That was the moment my son was born. From her womb into my hands, her mother and I brought him into this world together. And his birth was – as all births are – a miracle.
[Full story »]

The tension is in the air. You can feel it. It is an election year and there will be changes in those who govern - and, by definition, in government - at the local, state and national levels.
[Full story »]

Our first hosted spay and neuter clinic for Pike County went smoothly with little to no glitches thanks to Amy Bailey’s excellent scheduling and last minute scrambling when confirmed appointments were canceling. A total of 56 cats and dogs were fixed in just two days.
[Full story »]

Throughout history, great nations have faced great challenges. America, the greatest nation of all, has faced many of the greatest challenges of all – the American Revolution, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the War on Terror, and many others. In each instance, America attempted to avoid conflict through diplomacy, conciliation, and occasionally even appeasement. However, when those efforts failed, and push came to shove, America took a deep breath, drew a line in the sand, and said to her enemies, “Cross this line and you will pay.” And pay they did.
[Full story »]

He isn’t big on celebrations but endures for my sake my hunger for merrymaking with family and friends. He tells me he loves me every day but for years he would look at me and sometimes say, “Of course I love you. I’m still here.”
[Full story »]

By Rosalee King
Valentine's Day - I’m sure lots of chocolate will be given in love. Let us remember a few old sayings and making Valentines. When I was in school the children made theirs by taking a piece of paper, folding it and cutting a heart shape, coloring it with crayon and putting a little verse in it. It went something like: Roses are red, violets are blue and I love you or be my Valentine. We’d drop them in a box and later the teacher would call out the name the card had been sent to. Everyone would get a Valentine.
[Full story »]

We have a Recreation Authority. The authority receives a budget from the county manager that should be distributed among all the sports Pike County offers – football, basketball, soccer, cheerleading, softball and baseball.
[Full story »]

Once upon a time, the Geiger girls and I enjoyed a Thanksgiving Day feast at Carmine’s in New York City with a very interesting crowd. Among the group was Sean Landeta, an elite punter who spent 25 seasons in first the USFL and later the NFL.
[Full story »]

Objectivity – it is the absolute bedrock of science. There is no notion, idea, hypothesis, concept, principle, axiom, maxim, theory, or law more fundamental to science than objectivity. In fact, in the absence of objectivity, science does not exist. Call it what you want, but it ain’t science.

So what happens when scientists in general lose their objectivity? They become anything but scientists – beach bums, flower children, Birkenstock-wearing granola munchers, bearded recluses in self-imposed exile from the outside world. A sad thing indeed.
[Full story »]